


to the ends of the earth

by wrnkledtime



Series: to the end of the world [13]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Speculation, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 09:19:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6652039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrnkledtime/pseuds/wrnkledtime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>he could never, ever leave without her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	to the ends of the earth

“You should have let me go,”

His voice is soft, anxious, too loud against the quiet around them yet not loud enough. She stares at him incredulously, tears already stinging at her eyes and she knows that he’s trying - trying to make this easier for her like he always does, but she can’t stand it. 

“I don’t know how to say goodbye,” she manages to finally say, her voice shaking with the tears that begin to wet her face. Her head starts to pound and she can feel the paws of uncertainty and doubt claw its way up against the strings of her heart and she falters, as he gives her a small smile. 

“Then don’t,” he soothes as his hand reaches up to remove a strand of her hair that’s clinging to her tear-ridden face. “Don’t say goodbye.”

She heaves in a breath after she lets a sob rip through her throat. She feels as if she’s being torn apart from the inside out and her heart thumps painfully in her chest. 

“I’m not trying to,” she says, finally letting the dam break as she cries freely, bringing her hands up to cover his face before he catches her - he’s always, always there to catch her - and tucks her into his chest. She sobs into the nook of his shoulder and his fingers reach up to tangle in her hair as he breathes her in, keeping them steady for the both of them as the wind begins to pick up around them. “Dammit,” she hisses as she chokes on her own breath. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“Emma,” he coaxes, trying to pull away to look down at her but she clings to him.

“No,” she protests vehemently, shaking her head vigorously as she fists the fabric of his shirt in her hand and wraps her arm around his waist. “No, no, no, no - don’t make me say goodbye,  _ please  _ don’t make me say goodbye.”

“Emma,” he chokes out, his voice thick with tears as he presses kisses into her hair. “Darling, please -”

“Please don’t make me say goodbye,” she repeats fiercely. “I can’t - please, Killian, please.”

“You’ll come back for me,” he says, finally managing to loosen her grip around him as he brushes his fingers across her face and dries away her tears. He smiles at her tenderly, “Just like you always do.”

She blinks up at him, gripping the lapels of his leather jacket for dear life as she attempts to steady her breathing despite the fact that her heart beats away, feeling as if it doesn’t even belong in her body anymore. 

“I can’t lose you,” she breathes out, “I can’t.”

“You have to,” he whispers against her skin as he presses his lips to her neck one last time. “Please, Emma, you have to let me go.”

“You promised,” she hiccups, pulling him back to her as he attempts to pull away. “Killian, you  _ promised _ me. I can’t lose you.”

“I know,” he breathes out, choking on a sob of his own as his hooked arm comes back around to hug her torso. “I know, my love, I know.”

“Don’t go,” she repeats, begging him as his hand falls to grip her waist. “Please, please, please, Killian - don’t go.”

“I’m sorry,” he exhales shakily as the wind howls around them and the ground shakes violently beneath their feet. His cheeks glistening with tears as he swallows thickly. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Killian -” she protests, scrambling for his arms as he takes a step back from her before falling back against the wind. He staggers back forward, surprise and pain etched across his features as she reels him back into her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” he cries out.

His hair is windswept and tangled across his forehead, and she knows that hers isn’t any better as the wind whips and cracks around them. She lets the remainder of her tears flood out of her as he leans forward and pushes his lips onto hers, his good hand holding her steady against him as he grips her neck. 

It’s a mess of a kiss - their teeth clang against each other as they sob into each other’s mouths before breathing back in and turning their heads, attempting to get impossibly closer as they respond with everything they have, kissing each other fiercely as they push and pull. 

She feels weightless for a minute as the air around her stills, and she feels his lacking presence before she can properly register it. Her heart stutters in her chest and she keeps her eyes shut before squeezing them tightly, not wanting to wake up from this nightmare of a reality, before a sob sounds from her throat. She lifts a hand to stifle her cries and she feels her knees weaken, exhaustion finally catching up to her as she wobbles on her own feet and begins to kneel down on the dirt floor. 

But then he’s kissing her again, and he feels so warm and solid and  _ alive  _ against her as he catches her - he’s always, always there to catch her before she can fall - and she lets out a sob of relief as he grins against her lips. She throws her arms around his neck, pushing herself against him as he sways against her, relieved and joyous laughter bubbling from his mouth. 

“I could never,” he manages between kisses as she peppers them eagerly across his face. “Ever leave without you. Even if it’s to the ends of the earth.”

She grins up at him as she kisses him once more, long and slow. “Good,” she exhales. “Because you’re my happy ending, and our story isn’t over yet.”


End file.
